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A look at computer software importance to ag

An expanding global population, shrinking farm land, and environmental sustainability goals are driving farmers to grow record crops through innovative farming systems using innovative products and equipment. PTC announced that Great Plains Manufacturing is using PTC computer software to design and build equipment that is helping feed the world by assisting farmers in increasing crop yields.

PTC Creo is a scalable suite of design software being used by Great Plains and shows how advancements in almost every aspect of agriculture has computer software somewhere in the improvements.

Randy Jones, engineering system administration, Great Plains Manufacturing, sums up the value of PTC Creo, "We're designing products that we wouldn't have dreamed of before PTC Creo. It's not just a question of how much faster we are, it wouldn't have been possible to design them at all."

PTC noted some facts about world food and feed production. “More than 90 percent of all the crops and livestock we consume (and livestock feed) is produced by agroecosystems, which are created and maintained by humans (They do not naturally occur.). Agroecosystems cover 28 percent of the earth’s land area, excluding Greenland and Antarctica. World population has grown from 3 billion to 6 billion since 1961 – these agroecosystems provide 24 percent more food per person today than they did in 1961. The world population is expected to increase by another 1.7 billion in the next 20 years. We need more food, and more efficient ways of getting that food.”

Great Plains standardized on PTC technology for all stages of product development including concept, detailing, simulation, documentation and production. The software has enabled the company to deliver its largest grain drill—the 3S-5000—three times faster than previously able.

Great Plains Manufacturing, one of the largest privately held manufacturers of farm equipment for the past 40 years, develops agricultural equipment for seedbed preparation, nutrient application and seeding placement, all key to helping farmers grow higher yields economically.